The New Deal

The Great Depression was one of the most significant events in American history. Day by day, the Depression deepened. More banks closed, more businesses failed and more people lost their jobs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Democratic party’s candidate for president in 1932 promised voters a “New Deal.” The New Deal was an expansion of federal government programs. Millions of Americans loved FDR and defended the New Deal while others hated the president and his New Deal reforms. This division established meanings for “conservative” and “liberal” politics, which are still being used today. (Edsforth, Ronald The New Deal)
FDR created ten new agencies in the first 100 days of the New Deal to combat depression. Unemployment was probably the most crucial problem facing the nation. One was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which became tremendously popular. Roosevelt wanted a program that would put unemployed men to work on public lands. FDR asked Congress ...